Port Adelaide

(SA)

Adelaide North-west Suburbs

Very Safe Labor 16.0%

Election Result

MP

Rod Sawford (ALP) since a 1988 by-election.

Profile

253 sq.km covering the port district in the north-west of the Adelaide metropolitan area, as well as most of Woodville, Salisbury Downs, Parafield Gardens and Paralowie. The electorate includes the Torrens Island power station, the Bolivar Sewage Treatment Works and the salt evaporation pans that surround Barker Inlet as far north as the Gawler River.

Redistribution

The electorate loses 16,000 voters in the suburbs of Grange, West Lakes, West Lakes Shore and Semaphore Park to Hindmarsh, but gains 27,000 in Mawsons Lakes, Salisbury Downs, Parafield Gardens and Paralowie from the abolished electorate of Bonython. The Labor margin rises from 14.6% to 16.0% as a result.

History/Trivia

Created in 1949, Port Adelaide has been held by Labor ever since, with just 4 members in that time. Held by former ALP National Secretary and Hawke government minister, Mick Young (1974-88). Young resigned after accusations (later disproved) of hiding political donations, and the party suffered a huge swing in an early 1988 by-election. At the time, the Hawke government was suffering a substantial period of unpopularity. Recorded a 9.1% swing to Labor in 1998, the state's largest.

2-Party Booth Result

Labor won all 47 booths contested in 2001. Its vote ranged from 50.2% at Virginia north of Adelaide, to 83.6% at the northern industrial suburb of Mansfield Park.